Today the sun stood still! But, before that there was war. The five kings in the hill country were angry at Gibeon for taking up with Israel and making peace, so they decided to go and attack them. The men of Gibeon went to Joshua and asked him to come and save them. So Joshua and all the mighty men of valor went out to meet them for war.
The Lord told Joshua not to worry because he was going to give those people into Israel’s hands, and not a man would be left standing. Israel chased them, and as they fled before them the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord and said,
“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
And the sun stood still, and the moon
stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.Is this not written in the Book of Joshua? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.
-Joshua 10:13-14
The five kings that started all of this fled and hid themselves in a cave. When Joshua heard this he told his people to roll large stones against the mouth of the cave and set men there to guard it. The rest of them went on to continue attacking cities.
Then Joshua told them to open the mouth of the cave and bring the kings to him. He summoned all the men of Israel and had the chiefs put their feet on the necks of the kings. Joshua said, “Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”
And afterward Joshua struck the kings and put them to death. He hanged them on the trees until evening. When the sun went down, they took the men from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves. They set large stones against the mouth of the cave again. It says they still remain today…
Then it went on to discuss the conquest of southern Canaan. Israel went from city to city attacking and conquering them. They devoted all things in them to destruction, and left not one person alive. Once they had conquered all of the south, they started moving on to the north.
Joshua made war for a long time with all of the kings. There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon.
They took them all in battle. “For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.”
Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.